'They' alerted the Iranians and they're keeping the boats. This may have been Obama's goal.
Really? I thought the sailors left in their boats. Here is one report.
"The sailors left the island at 0843 GMT (3:43 a.m. EST) Wednesday aboard their boats, the Navy said. They were picked up by Navy aircraft, and other sailors took control of the vessels for the return voyage to Bahrain, where the U.S. 5th Fleet is based."